Tag: Elisabeth Moss

Female Characters, Female Writer, Personal Essays, Retrospect Reviews

Mental Health Awareness Month Retrospective: Girl, Interrupted

Year: 1999 Runtime: 127 minutes Director: James Mangold Writers: Susanna Kaysen (book), James Mangold, Lisa Loomer, Anna Hamilton Phelan (screenplay) Actors: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Leto, Jeffrey Tambor, Vanessa Redgrave, Whoopi Goldberg By Joan Amenn In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month and in light of Angelina Jolie returning to the screen in the upcoming “The Eternals”, this … Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Month Retrospective: Girl, Interrupted

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Activism, Feminism, History

Women’s History Month- 10 Inspiring Women Who Deserve Their Own Biopic

For this Women’s History Month, I have decided to focus on creating some top ten lists which discuss films, biopics and documentaries about women in history that will hopefully inspire and inform readers about the accomplishments of women throughout history. For this piece I am focusing on ten women who deserve their own biopics and will be discussing who I think should star in the film, who could possibly direct the film and why their stories deserve to be seen on the big screen. Continue reading Women’s History Month- 10 Inspiring Women Who Deserve Their Own Biopic

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Film Reviews

ITOL Top 15 Films of 2020 (So Far), Numbers 5-1

Phew! We’ve finally reached numbers 5 through 1. We hope you like our picks and maybe seek out the films that you haven’t yet seen. You can find numbers 15-11 here and numbers 10-6 here. Please let us know which films make your top 15 list and what films are you looking forward to catching later this year! A massive thank you to all the ITOL writers who contributed and voted. Here’s hoping the rest of 2020 won’t be so eventful! Continue reading ITOL Top 15 Films of 2020 (So Far), Numbers 5-1

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Film Reviews

ITOL Top 15 Films of 2020 (So Far), Numbers 10-6

Good news everyone, there’s only 177 days left of 2020! Did you check out our picks for numbers 15-11? Well, if not then you can find them here. We’re not going to lie, picking our top 15 films of the year (so far) has been tough especially seeing how release dates of certain films have been delayed and how we’ve been trapped inside for months. However, we’re pleased that the ITOL team have come together to create our top 15 films from the last 6 months. Please let us know which films make your top 15 list and what films are you looking forward to catching later this year! Continue reading ITOL Top 15 Films of 2020 (So Far), Numbers 10-6

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Film Reviews, Indie Film, Retrospect Reviews, Reviews, Streaming

Social Isolation Review: “The One I Love”

Do you ever watch a film and think, “Oh, I’m going to be a different person after I watch this whole thing”?  That’s what I felt after seeing “The One I Love” (2014).

Directed by Charlie McDowell and written by Justin Lader, the film follows Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) as they go to an isolated retreat recommended by their therapist.  I want to talk all about the twists and the turns of the film, but that kind of spoils the magic of it.  The less you know going in, the better.  Trust me.  When someone wants a recommendation, this is the first film I give. Continue reading Social Isolation Review: “The One I Love”

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Female Characters, Film Reviews, Reviews

Review: The Invisible Man

The question I am you all have on your minds is: what’s the point? Why bother attempting to remake a classic film, based on a century-old novel? I scratched my head the moment I heard Leigh Whannell (screenwriter of “Saw” and Insidious”) was attached to pen the screenplay and direct. Given the recent trend of ‘woke’ films bombing–and the decision to shift the focus away from the invisible man himself–I couldn’t help but be baffled by how anyone thought this project was a worthwhile idea.

Now that I’ve seen it, I am horrified about just how current it feels. Universal clearly wasn’t interested in re-hashing old scare tactics and merely re-presenting an old tale with updated CGI. This iteration is one designed to deliberately carve out a new domain of horror on screen; it has brought to screen a reality that has existed for many people throughout time—a reality that has never been accessed on film before, especially with this much tangibility. Continue reading Review: The Invisible Man

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Female Characters, Film Reviews, Reviews

Review: Her Smell

The music drama, and the excess of the rockstar lifestyle, has been pretty well captured on film over the decades, so how does a filmmaker now tell a story of someone living that life without retreading old ground?

Director and writer Alex Ross Perry’s “Her Smell” doesn’t seem to have much in the way of bold new ideas on that front sadly, instead he goes for big performances and some pretty interesting narrative framing to compensate. “Her Smell” is a tale of a front-woman of a ‘90s punk three-piece at the very cusp of breaking apart, who is not only clinging on to relevance against her band’s dwindling fortunes, but is also juggling the pressures and responsibilities of real life outside of the ephemeral madness of the rockstar persona. Continue reading Review: Her Smell

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Awards, Film Industry, Women in Film

Gems, Hustlers and Keepers: 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations

The 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations have recently been announced with Roger Eggers “The Lighthouse” and Benny Safdie and  Josh Safdie‘s “Uncut Gems” being nominated for five awards including Best Director. The other big films to receive multiple nominations also include Alma Har’el‘s “Honey Boy” and Music Box’s comedy “Give Me Liberty”. Out of the six directors nominated for best director, two of the nominees … Continue reading Gems, Hustlers and Keepers: 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations

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Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Reviews

Review: “The Kitchen” (2019) WARNER BROS.

This is not a comedy. Ordinarily a movie review would not begin by telling you what the movie is not, but when the theater marquee flashes “Starring Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish”, most anyone would assume they are in for a 2-hour laugh out loud romp with the promise of some outlandish one-liners to drop at the next party. Instead, the directorial debut from Andrea Berloff is a relatively violent mob movie. Continue reading Review: “The Kitchen” (2019) WARNER BROS.

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